SIREN: IT’S APRIL FOOLS DAY — Sources close to your MT-er confirm that your prank is lame and I ain’t got time for it. Sorry to be a curmudgeon. Moving on.

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TOP LAWYERS GROUP: NEW SHIELD ACT IS WORSE — We reported last week that Rep. Peter DeFazio was expecting less pushback on the patent-troll-targeting SHIELD Act from a trial lawyers association that opposed a previous incarnation of his bill with Rep. Jason Chaffetz. But that’s not the case, the American Association for Justice — formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America — tells MT. “No one doubts that problems exist within the current patent system, but the SHIELD Act would make a troubled system worse,” AAJ Director of Federal Relations John Bowman said in a statement. “This is a one-sided, loser-pays bill that would only apply to plaintiffs seeking to enforce their intellectual property rights.” A key sticking point, Bowman said, is the wider reach of the updated measure. “It would stack the deck in favor of corporate giants and impair the value of intellectual property. AAJ more vigorously opposes this bill because it is broader than the previous version and would apply to all patents.”

TECH BRACES AS USCIS BEGINS ACCEPTING H-1B APPLICATIONS — The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today starts accepting petitions for H-1B visas, with the expectation that the agency will likely have to hold a lottery for the sought-after visas. Companies and potential employees are faced today with “increased anxiety,” as Microsoft's Brad Smith puts it in a blog post, because the government expects visas to be snatched up in the first week. BSA | The Software Alliance, too, is blasting out a statement calling the petition filing period a “frenzy” because the 65,000 visa cap is “nowhere near high enough to meet demand.”

— AND YET, A POTENTIAL SILVER LINING: The industry is not only hopeful that Congress will come up with a reform package to change the system this year, but it’s preparing to come together in unprecedented ways to push for that change, Michelle Quinn reports: “While still in a bit of a holding position, tech appears to be ready to make a big push with lawmakers. ... Observers say they expect tech executives to go to the Hill for education tours or urge their employees to lobby Congress. Some may travel to states to shore up congressional leaders who face blowback in their districts. Tech can help lend credibility to the message that there is an economic benefit to broad immigration reform, advocates say.” Watch for more immigration fun after the jump, but Pros shouldn’t miss Michelle’s story here: http://politico.pro/XlKujV

GOOD MONDAY MORNING and welcome to Morning Tech, where we’ll be pleased as long as the Minnesota Twins aren’t the worst team in baseball by the end of the year. The hometown Nats, on the other hand, are due for big things in 2013 (thanks in part to former Twin and new National Denard Span), so if you’ve got tickets you’re trying to sell at any point, feel free to hit us up at abyers@politico.com and @ byersalex. Catch the rest of the team’s contact info after speed read and don’t forget to follow @ politicopro.

CANTOR FACEBOOK APP HITS BETA — The majority leader’s Citizen Co-Sponsor app, which allows social network users to express their support for a particular bill, was unveiled last year as a proof-of-concept — at the time, it only provided six pieces of legislation to play with. A significant revamp late last month, though, now provides access to every bill introduced in the House this year, with a design facelift to boot. A new search box, for example, makes it easier for users to navigate the plethora of legislation and find a measure they want to keep tabs on or attach their name to. With any software still in beta, there are likely to be a few kinks remaining — but watch for Cantor’s office to publicly announce the update in the next few weeks with more details, an aide said.

SENATE NEGOTIATORS WIN KEY IMMIGRATION SUPPORT; RUBIO CAUTIONS — Tech groups waiting to see what kind of high-skilled reform upper-chamber lawmakers have cooked up were digging this weekend's reports that business and labor groups are signing off on the last big immigration stumbling block: a visa program for future low-skilled workers. An announcement on a highly complex and comprehensive package is likely to come when Congress returns from recess, Carrie Budoff Brown and Anna Palmer report: http://politi.co/10f1ki4. Even with no lawmaker touting an agreement until legislative language is completed, Sen. Patrick Leahy has agreed to an hold an “extensive markup and debate on the bill in April, and then we go to the floor, God willing, in May,” — at least according to the timeline that Sen. Chuck Schumer laid out for Meet The Press viewers early yesterday. But this weekend’s hints of progress notwithstanding, Gang of Eight member Marco Rubio made it clear with a statement yesterday that there’s not yet a final agreement on legislation. Plus, he cautions, there are 92 other senators (not to mention the House) who are ready to weigh in. More on that here: http://politi.co/10f34b2

FTC COPPA FAQs TO COME THIS MONTH — A highly anticipated postscript to the agency’s updated Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act rule should be out by the end of April, an FTC spokesman tells MT. The FAQs will be can’t-miss reading material for website operators and app-makers, many of whom expressed discontent earlier this year after the agency unveiled new child privacy rules. The problem? A lack of clarity on issues such as the actual knowledge standard — which outlines when third parties have to comply with COPPA rules — and how sites are deemed as primarily or secondarily directed to kids. Your MT-er’s earlier story has more background on the problems that industry groups say will arise without more info: http://politico.pro/TNxvU4

WHILE YOU WERE SKIPPING WORK TO GO TO THE NATS/YANKEES EXHIBITION — Brooks Boliek and Tony Romm were busy deep-diving into the political ramifications reverberating from three dozen senators’ praise of FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel. The takeaway? The March missive was part pro-Rosenworcel, but also possibly part warning shot for the White House. “The high-profile Senate push could make for an awkward confirmation process, should the president ultimately select a candidate other than Rosenworcel. ... [The letter] immediately sent shockwaves through Washington telecom circles.” One industry source called the move a “very big deal,” adding that “to get 30 or more senators to sign on before the nominee's been named is unusual.” MORE:http://politico.pro/10eZqxK

CHINA UNHAPPY WITH CYBERESPIONAGE RULE IN CR — Reuters reports: “State media including Xinhua, the China Daily and the People's Daily, quoted a spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce as saying the U.S. bill 'sends a very wrong signal.' ... 'This will directly impact partnerships of Chinese enterprises and American business as they conduct regular trade,' said Shen Danyang, the commerce ministry spokesman. ... The new provision, tucked into a funding bill signed into law on Thursday, requires NASA, as well as the Justice and Commerce Departments, to seek approval from federal law enforcement officials before buying information technology systems from China.” http://reut.rs/10nu5bp

AMERICA’S INCOMPLETE PRIVACY LAWS: Europe is forging ahead with an opposite approach, The New York Times reports: http://nyti.ms/YMQdgT

FCC TO REVIEW WIRELESS RADIATION: The commission wants to make a series of technical changes to the rules, Brooks Boliek reports: http://politico.pro/YMQqAB

PANASONIC UNIT IN BRIBERY INVESTIGATION: U.S. authorities are looking at whether Panasonic Avionics paid bribes overseas to help get government business, The Wall Street Journal and Reuters report: http://reut.rs/126Hcit

TECH FIRMS BUMP UP PERKS TO RECRUIT, RETAIN: Companies are increasingly moving to energize their workforce with new spaces, The Associated Press reports: http://bit.ly/126HyFF

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Authors:

About The Author

Alex Byers is a technology reporter for POLITICO Pro. He was previously a senior Web producer at POLITICO, where he helped run POLITICO's Twitter and Facebook accounts. Before joining the Web team, he graduated from The George Washington University, where he served as the 2009-10 editor-in-chief of The GW Hatchet, the school's award-winning student newspaper.

Previously, he has interned at washingtonpost.com, Dateline NBC and General Mills Inc. He hails from Minneapolis and is an avid Twins fan, musician and golfer.